CDL Drivers Licenses Explained

[flyinguy68]

Hi! I just read a thread about this and it pops up every now and then because it tends to confuse folks and not just us RV'rs. I have gotten different answers when asking Police Officers, and folks that work at the Department of Motor Vehicles.

I wish the feds, and not the states, would make the driving laws uniform. It might help do away with all of this confusion. But REMEMBER if you are legally licensed in your state of domicile you are legally licensed in the United States regardless of different States licensing.

*CDL FOR DUMMIES😘
I think it easiest to think in 2 boxes.
Let's call the first box "TYPE". Do you need a CDL or a non-CDL type of license?

Are you driving for hire or revenue?
Yes- you probably need a CDL
No- you probably don't. *Exception: Wisconsin, Indiana, District of Columbia & Hawaii( why are there even RV's on Hawaii??)
Great site to start getting answers if you have questions. Don't just take my word for it "bonjour". (The exceptions listed above came from the website below. I do not personally know if these 4 places need CDL's)
Driver's License requirements

"CDL" the most important letter here is "C" and it stands for commercial. The feds regulate that.

Second box we will call "CLASS"

Most states mirror the Feds in weight classification to determine the class of driver's license.

The two classes in most states applicable to RV's are A & B, which are defined below:
•Class A: Any Combination of vehicles with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds provided the GVWR of the vehicle(s) being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
•Class B: Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing a vehicle not in excess of 10,000 pounds GVWR.


For example here is what Pennsylvania has for NON-CDL Driver's Licenses:

Classes of Driver's Licenses

Non-commercial Driver's Licenses
•CLASS A (minimum age 18): Required to operate any combination of vehicles with a gross weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where the vehicle(s) being towed is/are in excess of 10,000 pounds. Example: Recreational Vehicle, when the towing vehicle is rated at 11,000 pounds and the vehicle towed is rated at 15,500 pounds (total combination weight of 26,500 pounds).
•CLASS B (minimum age 18): Required to operate any single vehicle rated in excess of 26,000 pounds. Example: Motor homes rated at 26,001 pounds or more.
PA Drivers Licenses

Bottom line is check with your State of domicile. Look up the law. As you can see Pennsylvania's seems pretty simple.

[ford_truck_guy]

I believe the KICKER here is that it is for PRIVATE USE.... Once that RV is Leased for hire it then falls under the class of commercial...

[flyinguy68]

Dieselgem wrote:
Great Post! Nonetheless the reason it continues to be discussed is because of non consistent interpretations. You simple example of Pennsylvania is not so simple.

I have a Pa Licenses, a truck and a large 5th wheel both registered in the state of Florida. The truck is registered and insured under, "Motorhome". I not only called but while conducting other business in Harrisburg investigated. I was told by a clerk that if it the truck was over 26,000 lbs since it was considered a motorhome it would require a class other than "C". She told me she was not sure and would check. A supervisor came out and said, Oh this is an RV it is exempt. I pointed out the sections as you noted. He said, you are reading it wrong. You only need a class "C". Go figure.

Thanks Diesel! But Your post just proves my point about how the DMV even gets it wrong!!! Actually my post about the PA law is that Simple, It's actually very very black and white. RV's are NOT exempt, heck they even used an RV in their example of a class A requirement
Look again:

CLASS A (minimum age 18): Required to operate any combination of vehicles with a gross weight rating of 26,001 pounds or more, where the vehicle(s) being towed is/are in excess of 10,000 pounds. Example: Recreational Vehicle, when the towing vehicle is rated at 11,000 pounds and the vehicle towed is rated at 15,500 pounds (total combination weight of 26,500 pounds).


As you can see from my rig I NEED a class A license. I'm only going to speak for PA here and I will probably get an argument but if you are pulling a 5th wheel that grosses over 10k- it's a good bet you need a Class A NON-CDL license.

I have a background in the PA motor vehicle laws. I'm not trying to convince anyone to take my word for it, only to read their own state's laws and make a decision themselves. I had a buddy call the driver's testing station here in PA and ask to schedule a "Non-CDL" class A exam. They told him they didn't know how to administer such a test.

[camperpaul]

One thing you didn't mention is "air brakes".

Some states require a special "air brake endorsement".

Other states will put a "restriction code" on the license meaning "NO air brakes".

Some of the states use a special "air brakes test" while others have questions on their standard Class A and Class B tests.

If anyone has a rig with air brakes, make sure you are qualified to drive it.

[Dieselgem]

Great Post! Nonetheless the reason it continues to be discussed is because of non consistent interpretations. You simple example of Pennsylvania is not so simple.

I have a Pa Licenses, a truck and a large 5th wheel both registered in the state of Florida. The truck is registered and insured under, "Motorhome". I not only called but while conducting other business in Harrisburg investigated. I was told by a clerk that if it the truck was over 26,000 lbs since it was considered a motorhome it would require a class other than "C". She told me she was not sure and would check. A supervisor came out and said, Oh this is an RV it is exempt. I pointed out the sections as you noted. He said, you are reading it wrong. You only need a class "C". Go figure.